How to Correctly Fill Out an Indiana Vehicle Title

To fill out an Indiana vehicle title, the seller completes the “Assignment of Title by Seller” section on the back in blue or black ink, printing and signing their full legal name, entering the buyer’s name and address, the sale price, the date of sale, and the odometer reading, and then hands the signed title to the buyer, who must apply for a new title at any Indiana BMV branch within 45 days of the sale.

The details matter more here than on almost any other form you’ll deal with. A crossed-out word, the wrong ink color, or a nickname instead of a legal name can send you back to square one, sometimes with a duplicate-title fee attached.

Gather This Before You Touch the Title

Sit down with every piece of information you need before writing anything. Corrections are difficult once ink hits paper.

Full legal names and addresses for both seller and buyer, exactly as they appear on a government-issued photo ID.
The agreed sale price. Indiana charges 7% sales tax on this figure, so the number needs to be accurate for both parties.
The odometer reading at the time of sale, unless the vehicle is exempt.
The exact calendar date of the transaction.
A lien release from the lender, if the seller still owes money on the vehicle.

The lien release can be a copy, fax, or emailed version, but it must be on the lienholder’s letterhead and include the owner’s name, the release date, the vehicle’s year, make, and VIN, plus the signature and title of a company officer.¹ Missing any of those elements and the BMV will reject it. If you’re the seller and your lender holds the title electronically, contact them early; getting the release can take a week or more, and the buyer’s 45-day clock starts on the date of sale regardless.

Check Whether Your Title Is Paper or Electronic

Since July 1, 2025, Indiana has issued titles in either paper or electronic form.² If yours is stored electronically and you’re selling to a private buyer, print the electronic title so both parties can sign a physical copy. Direct digital transfers through the BMV’s electronic system only work when the buyer is an Indiana dealer affiliated with a Partial Service Provider using State Form 57738. Private-party sales still require a signature on paper.

If you’re not sure which type you have, log into your myBMV.com account or ask at any BMV branch. Sellers who discover the title is electronic should print it well before the sale date.

Filling Out the Assignment Section

Use only black or blue ink. Pencil, felt-tip markers, and other colors will get the title rejected. Write legibly. On the back of the title, find the section labeled “Assignment of Title by Seller.”

Every person listed as an owner on the front must both print their full legal name and sign in the designated spaces.³ The seller also enters the date of sale, the purchase price, and the buyer’s name and address. Indiana law requires the seller to describe any liens or encumbrances still on the vehicle when assigning the title.⁴

If the title doesn’t have space for everything, use a separate Bill of Sale on State Form 44237, also completed in blue or black ink.⁵⁶ The bill of sale does not need to be notarized.

Odometer Disclosure

Record the vehicle’s current mileage in the odometer disclosure section on the back of the title.³ If the odometer has rolled over its mechanical limit, or if you know the displayed reading isn’t the actual mileage, check the appropriate box instead of leaving a misleading number. Falsifying an odometer reading is a federal offense that can result in civil liability and criminal penalties.

Not every vehicle needs the odometer statement. Under current federal rules, vehicles with a model year of 2010 or older are exempt. Vehicles with a model year of 2011 or newer become exempt once they’re at least 20 years old, so a 2011 model won’t be exempt until 2031.⁷ Trailers and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds are also exempt.⁸ For an exempt vehicle you can leave the odometer section blank or note the exemption. Never enter a false number.

When Two Owners Are Listed

Look at how the names are joined on the front of the title. When two owners are connected by “and,” both must sign the assignment section. When owners are connected by “or,” either owner can sign independently to transfer the vehicle. This catches people off guard, especially when co-owners are no longer on good terms. If a co-owner on an “and” title can’t be present, talk to the BMV about your options before attempting the transfer.

If You Make a Mistake

Do not use white-out, correction tape, or any kind of erasure on an Indiana title. Titles with erasures, alterations, or illegible entries will not be accepted.⁹

Small errors can sometimes be fixed with an Affidavit for Certificate of Title Correction, which addresses errors, erasures, or alterations. For anything more serious, you’ll need a duplicate title. The BMV issues duplicates when the original is lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, or illegible. A duplicate costs $15 and can be ordered online through myBMV.com, at any BMV branch with a photo ID, at a BMV Connect kiosk, or by mail.¹⁰ Speed title service adds $25. Once a duplicate is issued, the original becomes void.

What the Buyer Brings to the BMV

Once the title is signed, the buyer applies for a new certificate at any BMV branch. Bring:

The signed original title with the seller’s assignment fully completed.
A completed Application for Certificate of Title, State Form 205. It can be filled out at the branch or downloaded in advance.
A valid photo ID such as a driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID.
Sales tax payment, or proof of exemption. If the vehicle came from a dealer that already collected Indiana’s 7% sales tax, bring the dealer’s Certificate of Gross Retail or Use Tax Paid, Form ST-108. For a tax-exempt transfer such as a gift, bring Form ST-108E instead.
A separate odometer disclosure statement on State Form 43230, but only if the odometer section on the title itself wasn’t completed and the vehicle isn’t exempt.
A lien release, if the seller had a loan on the vehicle.

For vehicles purchased outside Indiana or titled in another state, add a physical inspection on State Form 39530.⁸

Fees, Taxes, and the 45-Day Deadline

The buyer must apply for the new title within 45 days of the purchase date.¹¹ Miss that window and the BMV adds a $30 administrative penalty on top of the other fees.¹² Mark the calendar.

The standard title fee is $15.¹² Indiana also charges 7% sales tax on the purchase price.¹³ Buy from an Indiana dealership that already collected the tax and you won’t pay it again at the BMV, but you need the dealer’s tax-paid form as proof. For private sales, the full 7% is due when you apply for the title.

Gifted Vehicles

When a vehicle is given as a gift with no money changing hands, the title is filled out the same way as a regular sale, with $0 entered as the purchase price. The difference shows up at the BMV: the buyer files Form ST-108E and claims Exemption 7, which covers vehicles transferred between individuals with no payment involved or received as an outright gift or inheritance.¹⁴ That eliminates the 7% sales tax.

Watch one trap. If the recipient takes over loan payments on the vehicle, the BMV treats that as “consideration,” meaning it isn’t a true gift and the exemption doesn’t apply. The only exception is when the person taking over payments was already listed on the original loan agreement, in which case a copy of the security agreement must be submitted with the title paperwork. The buyer still provides a Social Security number or tax ID on the exemption form and completes the purchase price calculation section, even at zero.

After the Sale

Sellers, remove your license plates before the buyer drives away. Indiana does not require you to return plates to the BMV; they stay with you, not the vehicle, and you can transfer them to another vehicle you own or dispose of them.¹¹ The buyer handles their own registration and plates.

Keep a copy of the signed title and any bill of sale. If the buyer never transfers the title and picks up parking tickets or toll violations, your copies prove you no longer owned the vehicle on the date those charges were incurred. Hold on to the paperwork for at least a few years.

1
IN.gov. Liens
2
IN.gov. Electronic Titles Overview
3
IN.gov. I’m Selling a Vehicle. What Do I Need to Fill Out the Title?
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-17-3-3.4 – Sale or Transfer of Ownership of Vehicle; Requirements to Transfer Certificate of Title
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IN.gov. Proof of Vehicle Ownership: Bill of Sale
6
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Bill of Sale State Form 44237
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NHTSA. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
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IN.gov. Vehicle Title and Registration Application Checklist
9
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Affidavit for Certificate of Title Correction
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IN.gov. Duplicate Title Application
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IN.gov. Buying and Selling a Vehicle
12
IN.gov. BMV Fee Chart
13
IN.gov. Sales Tax Information Bulletin 84
14
Indiana Department of Revenue. Certificate of Gross Retail or Use Tax Exemption for the Purchase of a Motor Vehicle or Watercraft